El Diablo Morado
When Paul Millinchuk, of Dumont, New Jersey, sold his '32 Chevy truck he just so happened to stumble across this '62 Chevy truck on eBay. The truck was mostly completed, had a great stance, and was being sold at a price too good to pass up. Soon after, it was on its way from Missouri to Jersey. The truck was already hooked up with a 350 small-block, '87 Chevy truck front clip, 12-bolt with 3.73 gears, and Muncie four-speed, which meant mechanically it was good to go. However, Paul needed to rework a few areas in order to enter his level of the "kool stratosphere." First up he ditched the '62 hood and installed a '60 Chevy hood. From there he took a Hot Wheel to the paint store and hunted for the exact metallic purple that was on the toy. Once found, the truck was painted metallic purple with a metallic white roof and a hint of silver flake. Inside, the dash and '62 Impala steering wheel were painted to match. As for the rest of the interior it was covered in leopard print. Paul also threw on a set Radir wheels with Coker whitewalls and side-dump exhaust. Once finished, he dubbed the '62 El Diablo Morado, the Purple Devil, after the Jersey shore legend, the Jersey Devil of Pine Barrens.
Feels Like The First Time
At 70 years young Jim Glidden, of Merced, California, is still hacking away at project after project. In his hot rod repertoire he has built more than a dozen projects, many of them trucks. Surprisingly though, he has never built one Chevy of any model. For that reason he decided his latest project ought to be of the Bow Tie family. He picked up this '55 from the original owner's son a few years back, and in no time it was back on the road. Jim started off with a donor chassis that he outfitted with a '76 Camaro front clip and a CPP rear leaf spring kit. At the rear of the truck Jim installed L.E.D. utility trailer lights in place of the stock units and he removed the filler neck and various trim pieces. From there the truck was dropped off at Danny Frank's Auto Body for this aqua-blue paint job. Jim then installed Auto Meter gauges with a billet insert inside the cab, as well as one-piece windows. With the truck finished, this now means Jim has earned his merit badges for building a Ford, Dodge, Studebaker ... and most recently, a Chevy truck.
Hot Rod At Last
Growing up on the family citrus farm, Dino (whom forgot to include his last name in his letter), of La Quinta, California, has had his fair share of run-ins with trucks. As Dino told us, "We would drive the wheels off the trucks on the farm, and fix 'em with whatever we had lying around. Because of that I have loved old trucks my whole life." His '53 Ford is no stranger to Dino's ways; it's been in the family since '53 when it was purchased as just another work truck. Years ago, Dino decided that the truck needed to be hot rodded, and here's what followed. Dino began by installing a 3-inch drop axle; no IFS needed, because if a straight-axle was good enough for Stone, Woods, and Cook it was good enough for him! Under the hood is a 351 Cobra Jet motor from a '71 Mustang, once again as Dino put it, "No Ford-o-lets, for me!" The 9-inch rearend out back was donated from his aunt's '72 Lincoln after it meet a Eucalyptus tree. Because of the 15x12 E.T. five-spokes out back the rear fenders were also widened 31/2 inches. Wanting a hot rod look Dino went for a red paint job with yellow and orange flames. No doubt this citrus hauler turned hot rod hauler was long overdue.
Editor's Note: Getting your truck into Readers' Trucks is a snap, of the camera, that is. All it takes is a stack of good-quality photos of your ride that are in focus and well lit. Due to the volume of mail we receive, we regret that we cannot return photographs. Send photos of your truck (no Polaroids or printouts) to: CCT, Readers' Trucks, 774 S. Placentia Ave., Placentia, CA 92870. It is important that you include a detailed description of the modifications you have made to your truck, including any interesting stories behind it.